JJ Abrams already has "really cool" plans for a third Cloverfield movie

Back in January when the first teaser for 10 Cloverfield Lane debuted, fans had no idea that a Cloverfield follow-up was even in production - never mind on its way to theaters. If that teaser came as a welcome surprise to you, then strap yourself in for this latest update: JJ Abrams and Paramount are now plotting a third movie set in the Cloverfield universe.

Even though eager fans are beginning to work at the various clues threaded into the 10 Cloverfield Lane viral campaign, there's still plenty left to unravel. How does this "blood relative" spin-off connect to the original? And how might it open things up for future sequels? Abrams isn't taking the lid off his mystery box just yet, but as he tells Entertainment Weekly, "I would be lying if I didn’t say there was something else that, if we’re lucky enough to do it, could be really cool that connects some stories.”

Connecting stories sounds less like a franchise of films directly joined by their plots, and more like an anthology-style series set in one universe. Until 10 Cloverfield Lane opens we won't know much more about those connective elements. Could it be that the Cloverfield monster's rampage and the subsequent bombing of New York City caused the apocalyptic conditions witnessed in the latest trailer?

Well, we're going to have to wait for answers because Abrams isn't giving up any specific details right now. However, he goes on to explain that there's a "larger conceit" involved across the films. “There is something else that we’d like to do," he adds, "and hopefully we’ll get a shot.” Given the excitement surrounding the upcoming spin-off - and his success at revitalising a certain sci-fi spectacle - there's a good chance he'll get that shot.

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, and starring John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr., 10 Cloverfield Lane opens in the US on March 11, and the UK on March 18.